Chrono Trigger- The Fire from the Stars
by Kalin Iliev
Summary: Here is a novelized version of the events that took place in Chrono Trigger
1. Chapter 1

Chrono Trigger  
  
  
  
  
  
BOOK I  
  
  
  
To alter Destiny  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: The Millennial Fair  
  
A few hours after sunrise, the sky was clear. The gulls were basking in freedom, soaring through the air merrily, without a care in the world (except to steal food from unsuspecting people that were gathered at the foot of the mountain).  
  
"Crono."  
  
There was a moan.  
  
"Crono!"  
  
Another moan.  
  
"Wake up, Crono!" The voice was kind, soft, filled with love. The moans responding to it sounded like the most miserable sounds in the world.  
  
The curtains were pulled open, and a sweet melody made by a bell began to play.  
  
"Ah, Leene's Bell makes such beautiful music." The green-haired woman looked down at the flock of red hair popping out of the blanket of a messy bed. "You were so excited about the Millennial Fair that you didn't sleep well, did you? I'll be waiting for you down stairs. Come on, get up now."  
  
The red hair belonged to a young boy with blue eyes. He was wearing nightclothes. He shooed the cat out of his room before he changed.  
  
The woman was downstairs reading a book when the boy walked down the stairs. Dressed as he was, he looked ready to go on an adventure. On his brow was a white bandanna, and his neck was concealed by an orange scarf. The blue shirt he wore was fastened together in the front by a belt. The shirt went all the way down to his knees, and it was so big it made his arms look small. Under the blue shirt was a green shirt, of which only a part of the front and the ends of the sleeves could be seen due to the massive blue shirt. His khaki pants were tucked into green socks that went into plain brown boots. Hanging from the left side of his belt was a purple bag.  
  
"Ah, I see you're finally up, Crono. Don't forget that that inventor friend of yours, umm. Oh dear. I seem to have forgotten her name!"  
  
"Lucca," said Crono.  
  
"Oh, that's right! Well, Lucca wanted you to come by and see her invention!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Well, have fun Crono."  
  
"Mom, aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
"Oh, that's right! Here's your allowance, dear. Now, go on out and have fun!"  
  
As Crono stepped out of the door, he looked back. His mom was cooking. He closed the door and went to the side of the house, reaching into a bush. He pulled out a sword case. In it was a wooden sword he had carved himself on his spare time. He preferred not to let his mom see it. She'd have a heart attack if she knew he was fighting creatures in Guardia Forest. He clipped it onto the right side of his belt, and left the property.  
  
Crono took in a big breath of the fresh air, and a smile came onto his face. He loved the outdoors. He walked to the Millennial Fair, only a short distance from his house.  
  
The Millennial Fair was crowded with people. Some were alone. Some were in big groups. Lovers strode side by side. Everyone seemed happy. Crono walked to the north end. That's where Lucca's new invention was supposed to be. At Leene's Bell, he had a near collision with a girl in a hurry to go somewhere.  
  
"Sorry!" the girl called back as she went off into the crowd.  
  
Finally, Crono reached the north end. Two people were in his way.  
  
"Excuse me," said Crono, politely.  
  
"Sorry," on the left said, "Lucca's not done setting up yet."  
  
"Oh, I'm a friend of hers," Crono said, "I'll be glad to go back there and help."  
  
"Sorry, but we can't let anyone through."  
  
"But, I know her! " said Crono. He looked past the men and could see Lucca and her father, Taban, working on what seemed to be two metal huts. "Just talk to her. She'll know who I am!"  
  
"Beat it, kid! You can see the invention when everyone else does."  
  
"Just talk to her!"  
  
"She's busy and doesn't want to be bothered! Get away from here before I have you kicked out of the fair!"  
  
Crono decided he would entertain himself elsewhere while Lucca finished setting up. He turned around and walked off.  
  
At Leene's Bell, someone crashed into him, hard. Both him and the other person were knocked down. Crono got up and dusted himself off. He looked at the other person. It was the same girl he had had the near collision with earlier. She, too, was dusting herself off.  
  
"Ouch, that hurt!" she said. She put her hand in the center of her chest. A look of terror swept across her face. "Oh no! My pendent! Oh, don't tell me I lost it! Shoot!"  
  
Crono looked around, and saw a necklace on the ground next to him. He picked it up and walked up to the girl who was frantically looking around.  
  
"Excuse me," he said, tapping the girl on her shoulder. "Is this what you're talking about?"  
  
"Oh, my pendant!" the girl exclaimed, "May I please have it back? It has sentimental value!"  
  
"Sure," said Crono. Rather than hand it to her, though, he put it around her neck.  
  
"Oh, how sweet! Say, what's your name?"  
  
"Crono."  
  
"Crono? What a nice name. mine's. err. umm. Marle! Pleased to meet you! Say, I'm new here. Would I be asking too much of you if I asked you to be my guide for a while?"  
  
"No, not at all."  
  
"Well then, please lead the way!"  
  
They walked off together. As they were walking, Crono took a look at Marle. She was very pretty. She had blue eyes, just like Crono. Her blond hair was tied into a ponytail. She wore a white suit with a golden belt in the middle. From under her belt, it went down to her ankles, which were wrapped by part of her fancy sandals. From above the belt, the suit stopped above her breasts, exposing her upper chest and shoulders. On her left side was a small green purse. She had bracelets on her right and left wrists, and on her right upper arm. She had a case on her lower back that stayed on because of a strap that went over her left shoulder. Slung on her right shoulder was a crossbow.  
  
As they were walking, Crono saw something. There was an old man dressed in a peculiar looking outfit. He was short and plump. But more important than the man was what he was selling.  
  
"Hold on a sec," Crono told Marle. Crono walked up to the old man, who obviously had a fine taste in weaponry, considering his collection. Especially his swords.  
  
The old man saw Crono and greeted him.  
  
"Buy something from Melchior, the Guru of- err- I mean, the swordsman?"  
  
"Sure," said Crono. "What's your cheapest sword? I don't have a lot of money."  
  
"The iron blade is 400 G. That's my cheapest."  
  
"Great," said Crono, "I'll take it."  
  
Crono paid Melchior and began to walk off when Melchior stopped him.  
  
"Here." Melchior gave Crono back 50 G.  
  
"Hey, thanks!" exclaimed Crono.  
  
"How about returning the favor by talking that girl you're with into selling her pendant?"  
  
"Oh, no. I couldn't! It has a lot of value to her. You couldn't get anywhere. So here." Crono was handing Melchior the 50 G back.  
  
"Keep it. Even if you can't ask, it's still a favor from me. Run along now."  
  
"Okay, and thanks for the sword!" Crono met Marle again. "Let's go to my house for a little. I need to drop something off." Crono was holding his new Iron Blade in his left hand.  
  
Back at Crono's house, Crono took his wooden sword out of the case, and put it in the bushes where he kept his swords hidden. He couldn't bear to get rid of it, after all the hard work he had put into it, and all the great times he had fighting the monsters in Guardia forest with it. He slid his Iron Blade into the case and he and Marle took off.  
  
On the way to the north end, they saw a little girl crying.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Marle.  
  
"I can't find my cat!" cried the little girl.  
  
"We'll try to find it, but I don't think we'll have much luck."  
  
"There it is, over there!" cried the girl with surprise.  
  
"All right, leave it to us," said Crono.  
  
Crono and Marle approached the cat, which was a fair distance from the girl. Upon seeing Crono and Marle, it took off. They couldn't chase it; it went into some bushes.  
  
"Sorry!" Crono called back, "We tried!"  
  
Crono looked at the table in front of him, which he found himself resting his hands on. In front of him was a pink bag, with something that smelled delightful in it.  
  
"Hey, get away from my lunch!" called an old man.  
  
Crono and Marle quickly left, heading north again.  
  
When they were almost there, to the point where Crono could see the two men from before were gone, a smile came upon Marle's face.  
  
"Hold your horses! I want some candy!" Marle called as she rushed to a stand.  
  
Crono groaned and followed. "Do we really have to do this?"  
  
"What are you going to do?" asked Marle, and in a teasing voice, she added, "Drag me by the arm like some kidnapper?" Marle turned to the old lady behind the stand. "Oh, hi! I'd like some of this."  
  
"Sure, young lady," the woman replied, and gave Marle the candy.  
  
"Thanks for waiting," Marle said to Crono, "Let's go meet your friend now."  
  
"Behold!" said Taban, enthusiastically, "The masterwork of my genius daughter, Lucca! Anyone who wants to give the telepods a try, step right up!" No one stepped up. Under his breath, Taban grumbled  
  
"Don't everyone rush for them at once."  
  
Crono and Marle approached Lucca, a teenage girl, just like Marle and Crono. Lucca wore an orange shirt, much like Crono's blue shirt, only it fit her better. Under it, she wore a long sleeve green shirt and black shorts that ended in the middle of her thighs. Just like Crono, she wore green socks that went into plain brown boots. On the right side of her leather belt was a small pack, the same shade of brown as her belt. On her left side was a purple purse that was slung over her right shoulder. Her big glasses couldn't stop one from noticing her gentle, blue-green eyes. The green top of the helmet she wore looked like a turtle shell. The bottom of the helmet, which ended just above her brow, was golden. Her left ear was covered by a communicator of some sort, which was part of the helmet, complete with an antenna of some sort and a microphone. The look on her face was one of distress.  
  
"Crono," Lucca said, "No one wants to try my telepods! Can you try them out?"  
  
"Are you sure they'll work right? Last time I tried one of your inventions, I-"  
  
Lucca stopped him. "Quiet!" She hissed, "The crowd will hear!"  
  
"Oh, sorry," said Crono, "but it's not like they're trying it now anyway."  
  
"Come on! Please"  
  
Marle looked at the telepods, then at Crono. She decided to speak up. "Come on, Crono! Don't let your friend down! They look harmless. What's the worst they could do? Actually, what do they do?"  
  
"I'm glad you asked, young lady," exclaimed Taban, "It's quite simple. You step on the pod on the left, and when Lucca and I throw the switch, you'll be teleported to the one on the right!"  
  
A worried look was coming over Crono's face.  
  
"Come on, Crono," Taban whispered, "Please, help us out!"  
  
"All right," Crono said, "I'll do it!"  
  
"You're actually going to do it? What a fine lad!" exclaimed Taban. Lucca slapped him in the back of the head.  
  
"That line doesn't come yet!" Lucca scolded.  
  
"Oh, sorry," said Taban, feeling embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "Thanks for helping us out, Crono."  
  
Crono stepped onto the telepod, taking a deep breath.  
  
"Throw the switch!" Taban called to Lucca, who did so.  
  
"Power to full!" Lucca called back.  
  
"Roger!" called Taban.  
  
Suddenly, parts of Crono were becoming bits of light, and before he knew it, those bits of light were speeding to the pod. In less than five seconds, Crono was in the other pod, reassembled, looking exactly like he looked before.  
  
"Wow!" Marle exclaimed with delight. Her voice had more emotion than any of the other cries of awe. "What a kick! I wanna try too!"  
  
"Huh?" Lucca finally noticed Marle, "Hey, Crono. Where'd you pick up a cutie like her?"  
  
"We kind of. bumped into each other," Crono answered.  
  
"Alright," said Lucca, "You heard how it works, so get onto the left pod." Lucca looked at Crono and whispered, "Crono, have you seen her somewhere before?"  
  
"No, not that I know of."  
  
"She looks familiar."  
  
"Watch, ladies and gentlemen, as this vision of loveliness steps onto the pod."  
  
"Don't go away!" called Marle, "I'll be right back!"  
  
"Let's give her a great big hand when she reappears!"  
  
Marle stepped onto the pod, an excited look on her face.  
  
"Throw the switch!" Taban called to Lucca, who did so.  
  
"Power to full!" Lucca called back.  
  
"Roger!" called Taban.  
  
Everything seemed okay, until Marle's Pendant began to glow. Marle took it off and looked at it. Suddenly, a blinding light flashed for a second, and there was a strange bluish vortex between the pods. Marle was pulled violently into the portal. The pendant fell out of her hand. It made a loud ringing noise when it hit the cold floor of the telepod.  
  
"Crono!" Marle screamed, "HELP ME!"  
  
The vortex closed with Marle in it. There was utter silence. The silence began to fade as the crowd began to talk amongst themselves.  
  
"What's going on?" Taban asked, looking at Lucca, "Where is she?" Taban realized the crowd staring at him. "Umm, show's over, folks! Go on!"  
  
The crowd filed out, little by little.  
  
"Lucca, WHERE IS SHE?" Taban demanded.  
  
"I. don't know what happened," said Lucca "Who was she? I know I've seen her somewhere before!"  
  
Oh, no, Crono thought, I was supposed to be responsible for her! I have to do something!  
  
Crono walked to the telepod and picked up the bronze pendant. "I'll save her," Crono said.  
  
"You're actually going to do it?" asked Taban, "What a fine lad!"  
  
"I can't just do nothing." Crono said.  
  
"I'm sorry I have to send you alone," Lucca said, "But this is the only choice we have. Hang onto the pendant! That seems to be the key!"  
  
Lucca and Taban got to their stations, and Lucca hit the switch.  
  
"Power to full!" Lucca called.  
  
"Roger!" Taban called back.  
  
"More!" called Lucca, "Give me more power!"  
  
"Roger!"  
  
The vortex opened, and Crono was pulled in.  
  
"I'll follow you as soon as I know what went wrong!" Lucca shouted to Crono.  
  
"Alright!" Crono replied.  
  
"Good luck!" Lucca called as the vortex closed around Crono, sealing him from the world. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Queen Returns  
  
Blue waves as far as the eye could see. Beams of light flashing like bright purple spotlights. Crono drifted for what could have been an eternity. He didn't know how long he was in this place that seemed like an endless blue dream, but he was still very dazed when he was thrown into a small grassy opening in a forest. Almost too dazed to see the short green bald… well, he didn't know what they were.  
  
The little green men had an evil gleam in their eyes, and a vile grin on their faces. Crono snapped out of it when one of the little guys kicked a rock at his head.  
  
"Ow!" cried Crono, "What the hell was that for."  
  
"For being human!" One of the little ones replied with hatred. There were four of them, circling around Crono.  
  
"What are you?" Crono asked.  
  
"You're either having a concussion, or you're just freakin' stupid! Well, before we kill you, we'll let you know. We're imps, and we'll serve Magus by killing any humans we see!" The little green men… the imps, said human with unimaginable hatred.  
  
An imp jumped at Crono. Reflexively, he pulled his sword and slashed. The imp flew back, blue liquid spraying out of the fresh gash across its chest. The imp landed hard, and wasn't moving. Crono stared at his unfortunate victim, now realizing what he had done. This was a living, breathing creature, Crono thought, Oh my God… what have I done?  
  
"NOOO!" One of the imps cried as he lunged toward Crono, who swung his sword, making sure to hit the imp with the side, so as not to cut it.  
  
The imps were furious. They approached Crono, who was stepping back, swinging his sword if one got too close.  
  
"Stay back!" Crono yelled, "I'll make you end up like the other one!" Crono tried to sound brave, but it didn't come out too well.  
  
"You'll pay for what you did to him you dirty human!" cried an imp who couldn't hold his rage any longer. He jumped for Crono, trying to bite him.  
  
Crono surrendered to adrenaline. He swung at the imp, getting him on the arm. The imp flew and landed hard on the ground, but quickly got up. He and his friends attacked from three different angles. Crono ducked to miss the first imp's jump, but the second jumped lower, knocking Crono down. The imp was punching Crono with all its might, but Crono had his sword, which he used to stab the imp's side. The imp got off, now limping. Crono gave it a strong upward diagonal slice, sending the imp's lifeless body through the air. The two remaining imps rushed with all their might. One of them was the one who had had his arm cut. Crono, with the help of some strange force he felt inside himself, jumped, spinning in the air, at the two oncoming imps. He spun around like a cyclone, slicing each imp multiple times. Blue blood was flying everywhere. Crono finally slowed down, coming to a stop, kneeling to keep from falling over. The two imps, one on either side of him, collapsed, puddles of the blue blood all around them.  
  
Catching his breath, Crono looked at the massacre he had caused. Four poor creatures had lost their lives at his hands. Crono sheathed his sword and made his way down the mountain he was on.  
  
"Pass it here!"  
  
An imp kicked a green ball to another imp. The imp missed it, and it went past, into a… a… human!  
  
Crono looked down at what had just hit him. The ball opened up into a creature with stubby arms and legs and cat ears. Crono looked at the two imps that had been playing with it, now backing away in fear.  
  
"Please," one of the imps said, "Don't kill our roly!"  
  
Crono saw that the imps were afraid. They're just kids, Crono thought. He picked up the "roly" and carried it to the imps, who were shaking in their boots. He set it down and walked off.  
  
Crono walked out of the forest of the mountain and looked at his surroundings. They looked very familiar. It looked almost like Truce, his hometown. Can't be… Crono thought. He walked into a bar, and in it were… humans!  
  
No one took notice of him.  
  
"Hey, kid!" the bartender called to Crono, "Sit down for a drink?"  
  
"Y… you mean… alcohol?" Crono was stunned. This couldn't be Truce. Minors couldn't drink in Truce.  
  
"Yeah, what are you, a wimp?"  
  
"I'm not a wimp, I… just don't like to drink."  
  
"Well, we got some non-alcoholic stuff for the wimp!" The bar erupted into laughter. Crono's face was turning red.  
  
"Ah, leave him alone, Pete!" A voice came from the doors. The laughter quieted down.  
  
A middle aged man walked in. He was tall, rugged, and had a full grown mustache bigger than what Crono had ever seen. Most noticeably, he had an eye patch.  
  
"Can't you see he's just trying to be a good kid?" The new face said.  
  
"I was only messin' with him, Toma, he just took it personally. Hey kid, I'm not allowed to give you alcohol. But I got some stuff you can have."  
  
Crono approached a stool.  
  
"Hey, kid!" shouted a guy in a knight suit, "What's that on your boot?"  
  
Crono looked down at his feet. On his right boot there was some imp blood. Crono went white.  
  
"Nothing," Crono replied nervously.  
  
"I know imps' blood when I see it, and I see it right on your foot!"  
  
"I…" Crono began, feeling ashamed, "I killed some imps…"  
  
"Some?" the knight asked, "How many?"  
  
"Four," Crono said.  
  
"Wow, four?" The knight was amazed, "I don't think you could've taken four on and lived!"  
  
Crono pulled out his sword, covered with imps' blood. There were gasps all through the bar.  
  
"Wow," said the guard.  
  
"Umm… I'm really not thirsty anymore…" Crono said, "I'll be leaving now."  
  
Crono saw a forest. One he could never forget, yet one he'd never been to before. He looked at the sign.  
  
Guardia Forest  
  
It looked just like the sign he was used to, only this one was in better condition. Crono walked through the forest, careful to avoid anything that was alive. Finally, he reached the end of it, and he couldn't believe what was beyond. A huge castle, which looked just like Guardia Castle.  
  
Crono slowly approached the castle, and entered through the door, but not before wiping the imps' blood off of his boot. He was greeted by two guards.  
  
"Hey, kid! What business do you have here?" The first guard asked.  
  
"Check out that haircut!" The second guard teased, "You think he's one of Magus's troops?"  
  
"Hardly," said the first, "This kid never would have made the cut! Show us your stamp collection, son!"  
  
Both guards laughed.  
  
"Now beat it, shrimp!"  
  
"Stop this at once!" a new voice said, "Show respect! This is the one who saved me!"  
  
Both guards bowed. "Queen Leene!" They said in unison.  
  
"I'll be waiting for you upstairs, sir." The queen said.  
  
Crono went past the guards, confused as ever. He was inside a castle! He had saved someone of importance! What was all this? Everything was happening too fast. He saw the queen go up a staircase. Crono was about to follow when a voice stopped him.  
  
"Come here for a second, sir." It was… it was the king!  
  
Crono came and bowed.  
  
"I understand that it is you who saved my dear wife, the queen," the king began, "But Leene has been acting very odd. Could you see what is the matter with her? And also, she seems to have lost her hairpin, a priceless object she guarded with her life."  
  
"I'll see if I can find anything out for you, sir," Crono said. He got up and went towards the stairs. He took a look at the old chancellor, whose beard, if stretched out, would probably be taller than the short man himself!  
  
The chancellor gave Crono a dirty look.  
  
"What are you looking at?" the chancellor asked.  
  
Crono walked past him, not saying anything.  
  
Crono approached a closed door. He knocked three times.  
  
Someone from inside called, "Come in!"  
  
Crono opened the door and entered the room.  
  
"Please, leave us," The queen said to the maids, "I'd like to talk to this individual alone."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," both maids replied in unison, and they left the room, closing the door.  
  
"Come nearer, sir" The queen said.  
  
Crono slowly approached. The queen let out a giggle. Crono was so startled he fell back.  
  
"Fooled you, didn't I, Crono?" It was Marle's voice. Crono looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing of hearing. Suddenly, he realized the queen's face was Marle's face.  
  
"I'm glad you came," Marle said.  
  
Crono got up, dusting himself off. "I've been looking for you. How did you end up here?"  
  
"They found me and they thought I was the queen. I decided the best way to get attention from someone that recognized me was to act as the queen. I don't know how, but… somehow… I knew you would come for me! I'm so glad you came, Crono…" Marle was almost in tears.  
  
Suddenly, Marle was in tears. But they weren't tears of joy. They were tears of pain.  
  
"Crono!" Marle shouted as everything around them began to glow blue, "Something's happening, Crono!"  
  
"What?" Crono asked, "What's going on?"  
  
"I… I'm being torn apart! Crono! HELP ME!"  
  
Crono jumped to try and grab Marle, but she disappeared in midair. Crono landed on the cold, hard stone that was the floor.  
  
Oh, no! Crono thought, I just got her back! Now she's gone again! Crono picked himself up and approached the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Queen is Gone  
  
Crono, feeling depressed after losing Marle a second time, walked down the stairs of the castle. A familiar voice greeted him at the bottom.  
  
"Crono!" It was Lucca.  
  
Crono looked up. Too many things were happening at once. He was really dizzy.  
  
"Lucca, how did you get here?"  
  
"Did you find Marle?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, where is she?"  
  
"… Gone."  
  
"Gone? What d' ya mean she's gone?"  
  
"I mean I found her, and she disappeared in midair."  
  
"I see," Lucca said, "I think I know what's going on. I know why she looked so familiar.  
  
And this looks exactly like the castle in our time! Crono, we're in the past!"  
  
Crono put his hand on the wall to keep from falling over. "But, why did Marle disappear?"  
  
"Well," Lucca explained, "This is the year 600 AD. In this time period, something must have happened to the queen. Marle looks a lot like the queen. That's because they're family. Marle is princess Nadia from our time!"  
  
"What!" Crono exclaimed.  
  
"Anyway," Lucca went on, "They found Marle and thought she was the queen. They took her back to the castle. Now, no one is looking for her, meaning something really bad could happen to her! And if something happens to the queen in this era, Marle, that is, Princess Nadia, will cease to exist! Crono, we have to find the real queen and help her!"  
  
"Right, let's go. But look casual as we walk out of the castle."  
  
Lucca and Crono walked by the king, looking as normal as they could. The king stopped them. Both of them nearly wet their pants.  
  
"You can rest in the knights' quarters downstairs if you wish," the king said.  
  
"No, thank you," said Crono, "We'll be leaving now. And sir, I'm sorry, but I just can't find out what's wrong with her."  
  
Crono and Lucca both let out a sigh of relief as they stepped out of the castle.  
  
As they walked through Guardia Forest, Crono told Lucca about his experience with the imps. The way he had ended their lives. Looking back, Crono felt like just throwing up thinking about what he had done.  
  
"They are evil, you know," Lucca said, "They live to kill. They are the ones who started the war. It's a grudge that goes back a long way. But they want domination."  
  
Crono got a little comfort out of that, but still had trouble stomaching their deaths. Soon, however, he'd rarely think back on that battle.  
  
"Where do we start looking?" Crono asked as they entered Truce.  
  
"I heard about a cathedral they tore down due to mystic activity in it," Lucca replied, "It should be west of here. I think it's the best place to start looking."  
  
Crono and Marle walked until they saw that some trees made a path. Through the path, they saw what they were looking for.  
  
They reached the doors of the cathedral, and Crono's hand was on his sword's handle.  
  
He and Lucca entered. No ambush. Both let out a sighed, and went through the aisle. There were only four nuns in here. No one else.  
  
"My, what delicious, err, delightful looking humans we have here!" a nun said.  
  
A chill went down Crono's back. Suddenly, he didn't feel normal anymore.  
  
"Umm, Lucca, there's nothing strange here. What do you say we leave now?"  
  
"Hold on!" Lucca exclaimed, there is something strange here. What's that on the floor over there?" Lucca went to the floor and picked something up. "This is… Guardia's royal crest!"  
  
"They're on to us!" a nun shouted. The nuns surrounded Lucca. They erupted into flames that lasted a split second. When the flames went out, the nuns were no longer there. In their places were women whose lower halves were the bodies of snakes. They had vicious looks in their eyes, and venomous fangs. Lucca screamed.  
  
"Lucca!" Crono cried as he rushed at the snake-women.  
  
Two of them turned to face Crono. In a flash, they lunged, knocking Crono over. Crono jumped to his feet and swung at one of the women, but missed. Her reflexes were just too fast.  
  
Lucca had pulled out a hammer and was swinging it madly through the air, but just couldn't hit her enemy.  
  
"That's it!" Lucca shouted in annoyance. She reached into her purse and pulled out a gun, firing before the first snake-woman could react. She was shot in the face, and she fell back, lifeless. Blood flew through the air. Lucca kept her grip on things because she knew she was fighting evil, and she was doing the world good by killing these vile creatures. Lucca fired at her second enemy, who had never seen a gun before. She didn't even see her death coming at her. Lucca fell back. She was about to take a breather when she remembered about Crono. Putting her gun away she went to do battle with the remaining two snake-women.  
  
Crono finally got angled just right, and he swung his sword down at his opponent. Her tongue came out like a whip, knocking his sword off course. A second later, the snake-women was hit over the head with a hammer. She screamed in pain and went into combat with Lucca, completely forgetting Crono was behind her. She was stabbed through the back. The sword went through, coming out of the other side. The lifeless body of the once powerful opponent fell to the ground.  
  
Crono and Lucca turned to face the last snake woman, now near the organ on the north side of the cathedral. Crono and Lucca rushed at her.  
  
"Let me swing first, Crono!" Lucca said. She had a plan. The snake- woman would dodge Lucca's swing, which was only a hammer. She wouldn't be able to dodge the blade coming at her while recovering from dodging the first swing. Crono seemed to get it.  
  
Lucca swung. The snake-woman dodged it, and looked to see a blade coming at her. There was no way she could dodge it. Steel met flesh, and the snake-woman fell over. Crono and Lucca put their weapons away.  
  
"That was close," Lucca sighed. Just then, another snake-woman appeared behind her and knocked her down. Lucca let out an "Aack!" as she fell.  
  
Out of nowhere, a green and white blur came down, and the snake-woman was dead. The blur was no longer a blur now that it had stopped.  
  
"Let down thy guard and thou art allowing thy foe in. The enemies' lair lies deep within these walls. Will thee accompany me? Thy help would acquire my gratitude."  
  
"A… a frog!" Lucca shrieked.  
  
"My guise doth not gain thy trust? Very well, I shall go alone."  
  
"Wait," Lucca said, "You don't seem like a bad… frog… err… person… whatever! Crono, what should we do?"  
  
"I say… Go with the frog!"  
  
"Okay… I'll just have to deal with it… err… him. First, what is your name?"  
  
"Frog will do," Replied the humanoid frog. He was half Crono of Lucca's side. He was dressed in white clothes. Golden armor covered his torso. His arms and legs were skinny for the rest of his body. His hands were covered by green gloves, his feet by green boots. A small purple pouch on his right side hung from his black belt. He wore a green cape. Lucca had trouble making eye contact with his eyes, which were yellow with small, black, oval pupils.  
  
"Let us find a way in," Frog said as he slid his thick sword into the shield on his left arm.  
  
"What were those things we were fighting?" Crono asked.  
  
"They are Naga-ettes," Frog replied.  
  
The four were searching, but got nowhere. Lucca looked under every bench. Frog leapt to the higher parts of the cathedral, looking for anything suspicious. Crono was looking at the walls.  
  
"I hath found it!" Frog called victoriously.  
  
"Frog!" Lucca called, "That's just a chandelier!"  
  
"I shall pull down the chandelier and- WAAAAAH!" Frog had grabbed at a candle and it had broken. That resulted in him falling right on top of Crono. Frog got up and dusted himself off. Crono was walking around in pain, looking for something to lean his hand on. He rested his hand on the organ. He looked at the notes on the music sheet. There were only three.  
  
"Who the hell would make a song out of only three notes?" Crono asked.  
  
"Wait…" Lucca said, "Maybe it means something. Crono, play them."  
  
Crono looked at the sheet and played what was on it. The wall on the other corner opened.  
  
"Crono, keep that sheet. We may need it again."  
  
Crono tore the sheet out of the book and put it in his pocket. Frog opened the door, and the three heroes entered into the deepest chambers of the mystic-infested cathedral.  
  
They didn't get very far when Frog stopped them. They all hid behind a statue. Frog pointed down the hall, and Crono and Lucca were amazed to see a walking gargoyle!  
  
"Diablos aren't very powerful," Frog said, "Let us take it by surprise! He shan't withstand our combined force!"  
  
The gargoyle was getting bored of guard duty as he looked up to see a massive sword hit him. When he recovered, he was shot, falling to the ground. He was hit with a smaller sword, and he was down for good.  
  
"Hey!" shouted a pig in armor, "We got intruders here!"  
  
"Tis a hench!" Frog shouted, "Let us kill him swiftly, so we may not face his brute strength!"  
  
Two naga-ettes and a big blue male snake came in on the hench's side.  
  
Lucca pulled out her gun and began to fire at the naga-ettes as Crono and Frog rushed in, swords drawn and ready. Crono went for the blue snake, which wasn't very evasive. Crono got his stomach on his first swing. On his second swing, Crono cut its eye. The snake hissed in pain. Crono stabbed it and ended its misery. He looked up to see Frog get rammed head first by the hench. Frog flew across the hall, slamming into a wall. The hench now had his eyes set on Crono. Crono swung madly at the creature, but its armor was too strong. Suddenly, a gunshot went within inches of Crono's head and right into the hench's face.  
  
"Nice shot, Lucca!" Crono called.  
  
"I missed a naga-ette!" Lucca called back, "Sorry!" A look of terror and surprise came on Crono's face.  
  
Lucca finally put enough shots into one naga-ette to take her down. Crono rushed at the second and stabbed her from behind. She hissed and fell to the floor.  
  
Everyone put their weapons away and sat down to rest.  
  
"Frog!" Crono called, "Are you okay?"  
  
"I shall heal in time," Frog answered.  
  
After about five minutes, the trio got up and continued through the chambers. They got to a hall with two stairways going up and a long path in the middle. There were fiends all over that path. The three soon decided to go up the stairs to the side to see if there was a way to sneak by without battle. Hey, maybe the queen was in one of the rooms they were approaching. They opened the door to find monsters! But, the monsters didn't attack.  
  
"Hey!" a hench called, "There's no need for disguises here!"  
  
"That's… okay," Crono said, "We'll leave them on. We… our watch begins soon."  
  
"Oh, no!" a diablos said, "My watch starts soon too! I'll look at Magus' statue before I go."  
  
"We'd better get going too," Crono said.  
  
"Let us see where the diablos goes," Frog said.  
  
They followed the diablos into one room, then into a hidden room within that room. Inside, a group of diablos was singing a song to honor someone named Magus.  
  
"Magus…" Crono said in wonderment, "I heard people in the castle talking about him. I wonder who he is…"  
  
"Magus commands a legion of Mystics with the goal of taking over the world," Frog said, "He be fearsome in combat. Nary a soul canst defeat Magus without the legendary Masamune. But, that sword is destroyed. There be not a soul who can mend it."  
  
The band of heroes didn't realize the diablos were now looking at them. A battle began. There were six diablos. Each hero was attacked by two at a time. Lucca fired at her opponents, but their stone was too hard for her shots to break. Crono and Frog were experiencing similar problems. Lucca pulled out a small device out of her purse and fired it at a diablos. A small poof of fire met the diablos. Oh, no! Lucca thought, that's never going to do anything! But the diablos' stone was obviously weak, because the flame was enough to soften its stone. Lucca hit it with her hammer, and the creature, its stone now red from the heat, shattered. Lucca was about to fire on the next foe, but he hit her hand, and she lost her weapon. He was putting his foot down on it… when a sword knocked him over. It was Crono. Lucca picked up her weapon and unleashed the small flame onto the fallen diablos. Crono swung, and his sword cut through. Frog was now holding four diablos at bay. Lucca and Crono sneaked up from behind. Lucca burned on, and Crono stabbed it where it was burned. Lucca went on the next, and Crono stabbed that one too. Crono began to do what he had done to the two imps on the mountain, spinning like a cyclone. Lucca knew what he wanted to do, and blasted fire onto his sword. A whirlwind of flaming steel met the diablos, and they both soon fell.  
  
Crono, Lucca, and Frog went back out to the main hall and looked over the railing. There, the enemies hadn't heard anything. They waited till all of them were toward the front of the room and went into the door at the end of the hall. There was still more to figure out!  
  
Now, on either side of them, there were staircases going down, and there was a door in front of them. Crono opened it and looked through. There were two henches in there. Also, there were spikes all over the ground, so they couldn't get very far anyway. He closed the door as quietly as he had opened it, and explained the situation to Lucca and Frog.  
  
They went to one staircase and saw a sleeping hench at the bottom. They quietly walked down the stairs. Suddenly, the stairs turned into a slide, and the heroes slid down, amazingly holding back screams. The hench remained asleep. They went through the door they saw.  
  
There were several bats flying around. They saw a skull on the wall Frog pushed it in, getting ready for disaster. But nothing happened. They went out of the opposite side that they had entered.  
  
There were more sleeping henches.  
  
"I'd expect the alert guards to be here rather than closer to outside," Crono whispered.  
  
There was a note in the middle of the wall. It read: "NO ENTRY."  
  
"There has to be a way to get through this wall," Lucca said.  
  
"I saw another organ in the room with the spike floor," Crono suggested.  
  
"Mayhap, there be another skull in the wall," Frog said, "Perhaps the spikes shall disappear if we push it into the wall like the first."  
  
"Sounds reasonable," Crono said, "Look, there's another door. Let's continue on.  
  
The room was similar to the one on the other side, only this one had more bats. These bats weren't very happy, either. One attacked Crono, who punched it to get it off of him. Now, all of the bats were in a frenzy. Lucca pulled out her hammer and began to swat the bats. Next thing Crono knew, a skull right next to his head was pushed into the wall. The bats backed off at the sound of cracking bone.  
  
"Wow, Lucca," Crono said in wonderment, "You've got really good aim."  
  
"Actually," Lucca said, ashamed, "I missed again." A look of terror and surprise came on Crono's face.  
  
They went out and realized they were at the other staircase, right next to a sleeping hench. The trio silently went up the stairs and to the door of the room with the organ.  
  
Crono peeked through the door. The spikes were gone, but the henches weren't.  
  
"I say we charge in and take them by surprise," Crono said.  
  
"It seemth to be the best way," Frog agreed.  
  
With that, the door flew open. One hench was shot in the face upon Lucca's entrance. The other was being hacked at by Crono and Frog. But the tables were turned as three more henches entered the room. Lucca managed to kill one before one rammed into her, sending her into the wall.  
  
"Lucca!" Crono cried, and soon the hench that had rammed Lucca had a sword in his face.  
  
Frog managed to pierce his foe's armor. Crono did away with the last hench in the same manner as he had with the one that had hurt Lucca.  
  
Crono went to Lucca, on the ground, wind knocked out of her. There were a few tears were streaming from her face.  
  
"Worry not, Lass," Frog tried to offer words of comfort, "Thee shall recover soon." The green knight went and helped Lucca to her feet. He led her to the stool in front of the organ. He kept his hand on her back to keep her from falling. Crono walked to the organ, pulling out the note sheet. He played the notes on it.  
  
"It's time for whoever's behind this to pay," Crono said coldly. There was now anger in his eyes. He wouldn't let his best friend's injury go unpunished.  
  
"I'm coming too," Lucca said weakly.  
  
"Don't move," Frog said, "You haven't armor. You have a broken rib or two, methinks."  
  
"I won't just stand back and let you two fight alone!" Lucca let out a moan of pain after shouting. More calmly, she said, "Even if I just give cover fire… I have to help."  
  
"Lucca, I don't want you doing anything other than that," Crono said, "Understand?"  
  
"Yeah," Lucca answered, "I understand."  
  
Putting her arm around Crono, they left the room, making their way back to where the note was. There was now a door. Upon opening the door, they heard the chancellor's voice.  
  
"Prepare yourself, Queen Leene!"  
  
Crono and Frog rushed in. Lucca slowly entered, gun ready.  
  
"Chancellor!" Crono yelled.  
  
"So, you have found me!" The chancellor said, "but it's too late! Frog! It's time you leave this mortal coil!"  
  
The chancellor began to glow.  
  
"True form!" he shouted, "CHANGE!"  
  
With a flash of light, the chancellor was no longer there. In his place was a hideous giant beetle.  
  
"Yakra!" Frog shouted with realization.  
  
"Ha ha ha!" Yakra laughed, "This is the end of the Guardia Royal Family!"  
  
Yakra charged at Crono, who put his arm out in defense. He was still knocked back by Yakra's tremendous force. Upon attacking Crono, Yakra left himself open for attack from behind. Frog took the opportunity and slashed. Yakra launched some needles from his back, and they hit Frog. Crono was slashing madly at Yakra's shell, but wasn't getting anywhere. He went for Yakra's head, but Yakra backed away. Right after Crono completed his motion, Yakra charged again, and once again, hit Crono full force. Frog recovered from the needles, and stabbed Yakra's shell. Yakra turned to face frog. He did a small ram, knocking frog off of his feet. He then moved to the other end of the room ready to trample Frog. During Yakra's charge, however, Frog leapt into the air, and he launched his tongue. It landed right above Yakra's head. Frog pulled himself in ready to slash Yakra's head. Yakra pulled back, but frog stayed attached, and the slash landed. Frog detached himself and leapt back. Yakra let out a scream of pain. He was running all over the room in a fury. Crono was getting up just to be knocked down again. Frog leapt and dodged Yakra's charges three times, but was hit the fourth time. Yakra continued to charge all over the room, but now, he was charging right a Lucca! Lucca, startled, pulled up her gun and fired, hitting Yakra right in the head. The big bulk moving toward her stopped. Where his head used to be was now smoke. Lucca breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Queen Leene, who was hiding behind a stone table, came out.  
  
"Frog!" she exclaimed, "You came! Thank you so much!" She looked at Crono and Marle. "And thank you too. Let us all go back to the castle!" There was some mumbling from a treasure chest. Crono opened it to find the real chancellor stuffed inside of it.  
  
"That no good Yakra!" The short man shrieked, "I should build a criminal justice system to do away with fiends like him!"  
  
Crono approached Lucca.  
  
"C'mon…" he said, "Let's get you out of here."  
  
At Guardia Castle, Lucca was put into a bed.  
  
"All knights, please leave the room," a maid said. Crono was standing at Lucca's side as the maids pulled her shirts off to examine her.  
  
"Sir Crono," a maid said, "We need you to leave too."  
  
You need me to leave?! Crono thought, I've known her since we were little! It's not like I haven't seen her breasts before now! I'm not going to leave her side! Not when she needs me most!  
  
"Sir Crono…" a made said, "I have to ask you to-"  
  
She was interrupted. "Lucca is my best friend!" Crono shouted, "I'm not leaving her side at a time like this! I'm not just going to stand around outside wondering if she's okay!"  
  
"Please," Lucca said, "Let Crono stay. I don't mind."  
  
Crono held Lucca's hand as the maids worked on her. It turned that Frog was right. Lucca had two broken ribs.  
  
Lucca came out of the knights' quarters. Under her shirts she was bandaged up. She was expected to recover fully.  
  
"Madam Lucca!" The king said, "I'm glad to hear you will be okay!"  
  
"Thank you, King Guardia," Lucca responded.  
  
Queen Leene was now on the throne next to King Guardia.  
  
"I shall depart now," Frog said, with sadness in his tone.  
  
"Frog?" Queen Leene asked.  
  
"Twas a fault of mine which endangered the queen. I hath disgraced thee." Frog left the room.  
  
" King Guardia," Crono said, "Can we please visit the queen's quarters? There is one order of business left."  
  
"Of course," King Guardia replied, with a jolly tone in his voice, "You have the eternal trust of Guardia Castle. You will be remembered as heroes from this day forth!"  
  
Crono and Lucca went upstairs to the queen's room. Just as they entered, Marle reappeared.  
  
"Crono!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Princess Nadia!" Lucca exclaimed.  
  
"I, I was some place cold…" Marle said, "and dark. It was so lonely there. Is… is that what it's like to… die?"  
  
"I don't know," Crono responded.  
  
"Princess Nadia," Lucca said, "Let's just get you out of here for now."  
  
"Okay," Marle said, "Sounds good too… Princess Nadia?! I guess you figured me out… I'm sorry to have deceived you, Crono. But Crono, if you knew I was royalty… Crono, you wouldn't have shown me around, right?"  
  
"Of course I would have still shown you around!" Crono said, "What would make you think I wouldn't?"  
  
"Oh Crono!" Marle exclaimed, "That's why I like you! Come on! Let's get out of here!"  
  
The king and queen stopped them as they were leaving so they could look at Marle.  
  
"In deed," the king commented, "your friend does have a striking resemblance to my wife, the queen."  
  
"You could be my double." Queen Leene said.  
  
"We'll be leaving, now," Crono said.  
  
"Feel free to come in if you're around again!" the king called as they were leaving the room.  
  
They saw Frog as they were leaving.  
  
"Frog," Crono approached him.  
  
"I hath made up my mind," Frog said, "I shall depart for good."  
  
Marle was startled at the sight of Frog.  
  
"Crono," Frog said, "Thou hath potential to be a good swordsman." With that, he left the castle.  
  
"Froggy," Lucca said aloud, "you weren't so bad, either."  
  
Crono, Marle and Lucca left the castle as well.  
  
They were coming up the mountain when they were met by a blue imp and a golden roly.  
  
"You won't beat me and my poly!" the imp shouted.  
  
"Ah!" Marle screamed, "Another one of these guys!" She pulled out her crossbow and shot the imp in the head.  
  
Crono stabbed the poly, and it fell over, as dead as the imp. They came to where they had come from. Lucca pulled out a metal stick with what looked like a star at the end of it. She put it near the bright sphere that was floating in the middle of the opening.  
  
A vortex opened.  
  
"Wow!" Marle shouted, "Leave it to Lucca! You're a genius!"  
  
"Ain't it the truth?" Lucca said. The look of confidence soon left her. "I mean, it wasn't much…"  
  
"Enough with the false modesty! I'd trade my royal background for your brains any day!"  
  
"Well, if you put it that way," a smile came onto Lucca's face, "This portal is called a Gate. The device I'm holding is a Gate Key. There are a lot of Gates. Using this Gate Key, they can be stabilized and traveled through. Gates take you to the same location in a different time."  
  
"Well," Marle said, "let's go home!" She jumped in.  
  
"Coming, Crono?" Lucca asked.  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah!"  
  
Lucca and Crono followed Marle. The gate closed off behind them, sealing off the timeframe of 600 AD. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: We're Back!  
  
For all three of them, getting up was very hard. Crono, Lucca, and Marle tried several times to get their footing, but fell each time.  
  
Crono was the first to stand and stay up. Marle was next. Lucca was just struggling.  
  
"Here," Crono said, and took Lucca's glasses off. Despite her now blurry vision, she could now stand up.  
  
After all three recovered, Lucca put her glasses back on.  
  
They sat in silence thinking about what had just taken place. Marle had disappeared in a gate, Crono and Lucca went back to save them, met a humanoid frog, were nearly killed by a giant beetle, and were to be forever honored by a castle in 600 AD. This would take a very long time to sink in.  
  
"Thanks again for saving me," Marle finally said.  
  
"It was an honor, Princess Nadia," Lucca bowed.  
  
"Please, call me Marle. I hate formal titles. And if you bow to me again, I will pull out my crossbow."  
  
"Okay," Lucca apologized, "I won't do it again."  
  
"Lucca," Marle started, "Why don't you and Crono come for a dinner at the castle? We'd be honored to have you."  
  
"Thanks," Lucca said, "but I need to get back to my house so I can rest. I haven't fully recovered yet." She put her hand on her side. "Crono, would you be so kind as to escort Marle home?"  
  
"Huh?" Crono was startled. He was still dazed and had had no part in the conversation until now. "Oh, sure. No problem. I'd be glad to."  
  
"I'll be going now," Lucca called as she walked off, "See ya, Crono! Bye Marle!"  
  
Crono and Marle said goodbye.  
  
"Shall we be off, Crono?" Marle asked.  
  
"Yeah," Crono replied, "Let's go."  
  
Little did Crono know that there was a nasty little surprise awaiting him at the castle.  
  
Marle stayed close to Crono as they walked through Guardia Forest. She always was very cautious when she went through. Now, she didn't mind as much, considering all that she had been through, but it still brought comfort that she was going through with Crono.  
  
They saw some sleeping hetakes, but Crono decided it would be better if he and Marle got to the castle as quickly as possible. He and Marle had seen enough fighting for the last… how many days had they been gone. An even worse thought followed. How am I going to explain this to the castle?  
  
Marle saw the worried look on Crono's face.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I was wondering how I'm ever going to explain all of this to the castle," Crono answered.  
  
"We should be fine," Marle reassured him, but then added, "If we avoid the chancellor."  
  
"What's wrong with the chancellor?" Crono asked.  
  
"He's very strict," Marle answered, "If we had a court system, I'm sure he'd be responsible for many people being beheaded."  
  
"Well, I suppose we'll be just fine," Crono said.  
  
Crono and Marle entered the castle one second too early. The chancellor was just closing the door throne room when Crono and Marle came in. They both gasped as the chancellor came back out of the throne room.  
  
"Princess Nadia!" he exclaimed, "We were looking everywhere for you!" He turned to Crono. "YOU! I bet you are responsible for this! You abducted the princess so that you could overtake the throne and take command of Guardia!"  
  
"I d-" Crono just started when the chancellor interrupted him.  
  
"Silence!" He yelled, "Save it for the court!"  
  
Crono and Marle looked at each other. The same thought went through both of their heads. What court?  
  
"Detain him at once!" the chancellor commanded the guards.  
  
"Chancellor!" Marle yelled, "Give us a chance to explain!"  
  
"Worry not, Princess Nadia!" the chancellor said in a false reassuring voice, "You are safe now!"  
  
The guards were cuffing Crono.  
  
"H-" Crono began to talk, but was cut off again.  
  
"I said SILENCE!" the chancellor yelled in a voice that could shatter windows.  
  
"STOP IT!" Marle shrieked.  
  
The guards let go of Crono and bowed down.  
  
"What are you doing, you bumbling idiots?" The chancellor demanded, "I said detain him!"  
  
"But," a guard tried, "Princess Nadia said-"  
  
"To HELL with what Princess Nadia said!" The chancellor interrupted, "ARREST HIM BEFORE I THROW YOUR ASSES IN PRISON WITH HIM FOR DEFYING MY ORDERS!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" The guards said in frightened voices and began dragging Crono away.  
  
Marle tried to silence them, but the chancellor silenced her.  
  
"Come Princess Nadia," he said in a calm voice, "Let us explain what happened to you to your father. He has been worried sick about you, my dear."  
  
Marle slowly followed the chancellor into the thrown room. 


	5. Chapter 5

Warning: This chapter takes the rating PG-13 to the limits due to the strong language.  
  
Chapter 5: The Trial  
  
Crono was guided into the courtroom. A judge that had to be at least fifty was already waiting.  
  
"Let the trial begin," the judge said.  
  
A young man walked forward.  
  
"I'm Pierre, the lawyer."  
  
The chancellor stepped forward next.  
  
"I the chancellor, will be the prosecutor."  
  
"The trial is now in session," the judge said, "Crono, you are hereby ordered to tell the truth!"  
  
Pierre began. "Crono is charged with abduction and treason. This is false, because, to begin with, no abduction took place. Care to respond, Chancellor?"  
  
Chancellor: "An abduction did indeed take place! Crono bumped into Princess Nadia on purpose, then she innocently followed him to Lucca's little sideshow, where they disappeared, and weren't seen again for three days! If that isn't criminal abduction, I don't know WHAT is! On top of that, I have evidence that throws the defendant's character into question!"  
  
Pierre: "Objection! The defendant's character is irrelevant to the case!"  
  
Chancellor: "The defendant's character is at the very core of this case, asshole!"  
  
Judge: "ORDER! We've no need for vulgar language in this court, Chancellor! Now, continue on!"  
  
Chancellor: "Crono, have you ever been a thief?"  
  
Crono: "No."  
  
Chancellor: "Witness, please!"  
  
A familiar looking old man walked into the courtroom.  
  
Chancellor: "Have you ever seen this person in the past?" The chancellor pointed at Crono.  
  
Old Man: "He's the one who tried to steal my chicken! It cost me ten G! If I hadn't seen him in time, he would have eaten it!"  
  
Chancellor: "Such cruelty! Stealing from a poor old man! That's not the worst of it. Another witness please!"  
  
The little girl whose cat Crono and Marle couldn't catch earlier walked in. Crono groaned. They completely set this up to make me look guilty, he thought.  
  
Chancellor: "Little girl, have you ever seen this boy before?"  
  
Little girl: "I know him! He scared my cat off! I haven't seen it since!" The little girl walked up and kicked Crono in the shin. Crono yelped and hopped around as the girl left the courtroom.  
  
Chancellor: "Jury! I ask, how are you going to let a cruel little shit like this walk th-"  
  
Judge: "CHANCELLOR! I said watch your tongue!"  
  
The chancellor cleared his throat. "How are you going to let a cruel little crapball like this walk the streets of Truce?"  
  
The judge winced at "crapball," but didn't say anything.  
  
Pierre: "I once again say, Crono's character is irrelevant! The question here is motive. Did this fine young man have-"  
  
Chancellor: "How are you going to call him a 'fine young man' after all the shit he pulled?"  
  
Judge: "Chancellor!"  
  
Chancellor: "Jury! This little son of a bitch walks arou-"  
  
Judge: "CHANCELLOR! I TOLD YOU TO HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"  
  
The chancellor quieted down.  
  
Judge: "Pierre, go on."  
  
Pierre: "As I was saying, was there any motive for this fine young man to kidnap the princess? No, there wasn't."  
  
Chancellor: "What about ransom? Crono, her fortune did tempt you, did it not?"  
  
Crono: "No."  
  
Chancellor: "You are sure? I have witnesses who say you picked up Princess Nadia's pendant before even checking to see if she was okay!"  
  
Crono: "That was because she was frantically looking for it! I had to help her find it!"  
  
Chancellor: "That's not the point! Did you first pick up the pendant, or see if Princess Nadia was okay."  
  
Crono: "I told you, I-"  
  
Chancellor: "Answer the question, dumbshit!"  
  
Judge: "CHANCELLOR!"  
  
Crono: "I… I picked up the pendant first…"  
  
Chancellor: "Pierre, what did you say about an abduction occurring a few minutes ago?"  
  
Pierre: "I said no abduction took place."  
  
Chancellor: "Jury, I have a piece of evidence that will prove my case beyond a doubt! Witness, please!"  
  
A teenage girl came into the room.  
  
"I heard it with my own ears," she said, "The princess said, 'What are you going to do, drag me by the arm like some kidnapper?"  
  
Gasps were coming from all over the courtroom.  
  
"There you have it!" the chancellor said triumphantly, "This pisshole with orange shit for hair is as guilty as-"  
  
"CHANCELLOR!" the judge yelled, making the whole court rumble from his deep voice, "SHUT UP! Your case is finished, so I hereby order you to remain silent for the rest of the trial!" A little less annoyed now, he turned to the jury. "Jury members. This is a majority vote. If you believe he is guilty, stand to my right. If innocent, stand to my left."  
  
There were thirteen jury members. The first walked up.  
  
"Not guilty," he said, and went to the judge's left.  
  
The chancellor was about to yell something, but the judge stopped him before he did.  
  
"Chancellor, shut up!" he yelled, rather quietly and quickly this time.  
  
The second jury member walked up.  
  
"Not guilty."  
  
The others came, one by one.  
  
"Guilty."  
  
"Not guilty."  
  
"Guilty."  
  
"Guilty."  
  
"Guilty."  
  
"Not guilty."  
  
"Not guilty."  
  
"Not guilty."  
  
It was six to four. All I need is one more 'not guilty,' Crono thought.  
  
The next one came up. This is it!  
  
"Guilty."  
  
The next was up. This has to be it!  
  
"Guilty."  
  
The judge spoke. "Six members of the jury up here believe Crono is innocent. The other six believe he is guilty. Whatever the final member of the jury proposes will be the verdict!"  
  
The last jury member came up and faced the judge. Between him getting his breath and saying his choice seemed like an eternity. Finally, he got it out.  
  
"Guilty."  
  
Just then, Marle burst into the courtroom.  
  
"Now just a darned minute!" she yelled.  
  
"Crono," the judge said, ignoring Marle, "You have been found guilty of treason. There is only one sentence appropriate for this, and that sentence is death!"  
  
"Wait!" Marle tried.  
  
King Guardia himself came into the courtroom.  
  
"Princess Nadia!" he exclaimed, "All I ask is that you behave like royalty!"  
  
Crono struggled as the guards cuffed him.  
  
"The execution is in three days," the judge said, "Take him away!"  
  
Crono was dragged out.  
  
"Crono!" Marle screamed, but was held back by her father.  
  
Crono was taken to a prison built onto the castle. The chancellor personally led the guards to the front desk.  
  
"This rotten piece of shit has been found guilty of treason!" the chancellor said, "You must carry out his sentence in three days!"  
  
"What is the sentence?" The man asked.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK IT IS, SHIT-FOR-BRAINS?" the chancellor asked in an irritated voice.  
  
"Sorry, sir. His sentence will be carried out on time! So, this is the scum who tried to overthrow out kingdom! He'll pay, now! Guards, take him to his cell!"  
  
Crono was hit over the head by one of the guards' massive swords. As he fell to his knees, he succumbed to darkness. The second half of his fall seemed like an eternity. The last thing he remembered was feeling the cold stone floor hit his face.  
  
Crono moaned.  
  
When he opened his eyes, he thought he was in a giant toilet. No, he thought, Toilet's in the corner. Where am I?  
  
It began to come back to him. I'm in prison. I'm going to be executed. I'M GOING TO BE EXECUTED! THE TRIAL WAS UNFAIR! HOW CAN I GET OUT OF THIS? By now, Crono was pacing around. He grew impatient. He ran to the barred door and pulled on it. A guard was right there.  
  
"Hey," he said, in a young sounding voice, "Shut up in there!"  
  
Crono was going insane.  
  
"All right," the guard said, "I'll teach you to make a racket!"  
  
The guard opened the gate and walked in. Crono reached to pull out his sword, but it wasn't there! My sword has been taken! he thought.  
  
The guard smacked him across the head and he was knocked down. The guard walked out triumphantly.  
  
Crono stood up. Depression sunk in. I'm going to die!  
  
"How much time left?" Crono asked.  
  
"A little more than two days."  
  
Crono just sat there for a few hours. He thought about past times. When he and Lucca would go through Guardia Forest together… The countless plays he watched with his mother when he was young… The-  
  
"Two days till the execution!" the guard called through the door.  
  
He slept most of day two. He would regret that later, because he would not be able to get any sleep on the final day. He was waken up by the call through the door.  
  
"One day till the execution."  
  
That's the last time I'll ever sleep, thought Crono. For the rest of the day, he stared blankly at the wall. Barely any thoughts went through his head. It was almost as if he were in a state of suspended animation.  
  
And then, the day arrived.  
  
At sunrise, the officer came and called to Crono.  
  
"Crono," he said, "It's time to carry out your sentence."  
  
The gate was opened. Crono was cuffed and walked across a bridge to another tower. That tower led to another tower, and another bridge. They kept going through several bridges and towers until they reached the site of Crono's death. The guards led Crono to a guillotine. This is it, he thought.  
  
His head was put in. A bucket was moved in front of him.  
  
The blade came down, and Crono's head fell into the bucket like a ball of paper discarded into a wastebasket. That image was broken by the officer saying "Any last words?"  
  
He was still alive. There was a massive blade over him, but he was alive.  
  
"I said, any last words?" the officer repeated.  
  
Crono had thought of what his last words would be. Yes. The power of Guardia no longer lies in the king. The chancellor is now controlling everything.  
  
"ANY LAST WORDS?"  
  
Crono began. "Yes. Th- Oh my god, what's that?"  
  
"Oh, please," the officer said, "Do you really-" He was blasted in the back. The two guards were next.  
  
A figure stepped out of the shadow. A figure with a turtle shell helmet and big glasses. Lucca!  
  
"Hey, Crono!" Lucca exclaimed, "What do you think of my new Zonker-64?"  
  
"Umm, it's nice," Crono said, still surprised at Lucca's entrance, "There's kind of a bigger issue at hand right now, though. Can you untie me?"  
  
"Oh, sure," Lucca said. Crono was quickly freed from what had seemed like certain death only moments before.  
  
"Lucca," Crono asked, "How did you get in here?"  
  
"I shot anything that moved. We better hurry. My gun's only set to stun."  
  
"Well, then let's get going!"  
  
They left quickly. As they ran, Crono observed that Lucca hadn't been lying. There were unconscious guards everywhere, even on the bridges. Soon after their grand escape, they realized they had no idea where they were going. They had come to two dead ends already.  
  
"Uh, Lucca," Crono said, "If you don't know where you're going, how did you find me?"  
  
"I…" Lucca said shamefully, "I… kind of… guessed at every turn."  
  
Crono nearly fainted.  
  
"Well," Crono said, "Let's search."  
  
They retraced their steps to the last tower and took a different path. There were four different paths to choose from. This time, they came to the warden's office. The warden was there, unconscious, of course. Crono looked next to him. There were instructions for something called a "dragon tank."  
  
"What's this?" Crono asked.  
  
"It's some plans for some new machine the castle is building," Lucca said, "They've been working on it for ages. They won't be done with it anytime soon."  
  
"Ok," Crono understood, "Now, we're almost out. Let's keep going!"  
  
The two teens proceeded to the bridge that led to the main castle. When they were at the middle, the bridge, no the whole castle began to shake.  
  
"What was that?" Lucca wondered aloud.  
  
"I'd rather not stick around to find out," Crono answered.  
  
They both took off, but stopped in their tracks shortly after. Coming out of the entrance to the main castle was a big, metal dragon. Behind it was a short man in a green suit with a beard with more length than he had height! The chancellor!  
  
"Forward, Dragon Tank!" he commanded, "Crush those damned rebels!"  
  
The metal Giant advanced of Crono and Lucca.  
  
"Damn!" Crono sighed, "I knew it wouldn't be this easy."  
  
A burst of flames barely missed him. Upon dodging, Crono went over the edge of the thin bridge he and Lucca were on. He barely managed to grab the side. Lucca helped him up.  
  
"Here," she said, handing Crono a sheath with a sword in it. It was his sheath, but the iron blade was no longer in it. It was an even better sword.  
  
"Lucca," Crono asked, "Where'd you get this?"  
  
"It's the Lode Sword," Lucca answered, "I found it while I was searching for you."  
  
There was another wave of flames from the Dragon Tank.  
  
"Alright," Crono said, "Less talking, more fighting!"  
  
With that, Crono charged at the tank. He slashed as hard as he could, but the sword merely bounced off of the armor.  
  
"Ha ha ha!" The laugh came from the chancellor, "What do you think this is, dumbass? Some kind of video game?"  
  
Lucca fired and the shot hit the tank's left eye. There was a crack it. Lucca fired again and the eye shattered. The tank charged forward using it's two wheels. Crono climbed onto the tank's back, but it was still going full speed at Lucca! Crono sliced the wheel off. The Dragon Tank skidded sideways and was about to fall off, and Crono was still on it! It stopped just short of Lucca, who had fallen back in fear. Crono leapt off and to Lucca's side. The tank was shooting fire madly, but its head couldn't angle to hit its targets. Crono saw a loose hatch that looked vulnerable, and was about to slice it, but Lucca stopped him.  
  
"What," Crono asked, feeling a little edgy.  
  
"Not yet," Lucca answered, "I'll tell you when."  
  
The chancellor and the two officers with him rushed to aid the Dragon Tank. The chancellor was very mad, right now.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU DAMNED HEAP OF METAL? GET THOSE LITTLE SHITS!"  
  
"Crono, now!" Lucca shouted. Crono leapt and sliced into the open hatch, which caused the tank to spark madly. Crono jumped back to Lucca.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" demanded the chancellor.  
  
"You'll see in a sec," mumbled Lucca, so only she and Crono could hear.  
  
With that the Dragon Tank exploded, throwing the chancellor and his two officers in the air, also opening a huge gap in the bridge. The man on the bottom got his feet onto the bridge, and grabbed onto the chancellor's feet, who grabbed the feet of the man in front of him, who grabbed the other end of the bridge. There was a perfect replacement for what was missing. Too bad it wouldn't last long.  
  
Crono and Lucca walked over the three men, making sure to cause as much pain as possible.  
  
"Ow, you little son of a bitch!" The chancellor yelped as Crono stepped on his head, "You'll never get away with this!"  
  
Crono and Lucca worked their way down the tower, not running into any guards. At the main door, however, there were plenty waiting.  
  
"That's as far as you go!" came a voice from behind. It was the chancellor.  
  
"Hold on!" Marle entered the room. She was dressed in a big blue dress. The king was quick to come up behind her.  
  
"Princess Nadia!" The king was furious. "I want no more of this! This is no way for a princess to behave!"  
  
"Dad, it's always title with you, isn't it? Doesn't it occur to you that there is more to life than rank?"  
  
"You pick up strange ideas venturing beyond these walls."  
  
"I didn't 'pick up' anything! It's called common sense!"  
  
"Princess Nadia," the king commanded, "You are to go back to your room right now! I wish to hear no more!"  
  
"No!"  
  
The king (and everyone else in the room, for that matter) was stunned. "Wh- What?"  
  
"I said No!" Marle responded, "I hate royalty! This place sucks! I'm leaving with Crono and Lucca!"  
  
"YOU CAN'T!" the king exclaimed.  
  
"Try and stop me!" Marle shot back. She pulled off her dress. Under it was the outfit she had worn at the fair. She even had the crossbow and the arrows. "Crono, let's go!"  
  
"Umm," Crono snapped out of it, "Right!"  
  
He, Lucca and Marle burst through the guards at the door and ran into the forest.  
  
"Princess Nadia…" the king moaned. Then anger took over the sadness. "Chancellor! Catch them! Don't let them escape!"  
  
Crono, Lucca, and Marle could hear the guards chasing them, the chancellor cussing at them to get them to move faster. Then, they could see the guards behind them. They were gaining!  
  
Finally, to make matters worse, they went right into a dead end. The Guards quickly sealed off the entrance.  
  
The chancellor came through.  
  
"Crono," he began, "Lucca, Princess Nadia, you are to come with me to the castle. Crono and Lucca are to be beheaded promptly. Princess, you will not be allowed to leave the castle until you are queen."  
  
That's when Marle noticed a small sphere. She instantly knew what it was.  
  
"Crono!" she exclaimed, "A gate!"  
  
Lucca was the one to talk. "But we don't know where it'll take us!"  
  
"Any place is better than here!" Marle said enthusiastically. "Crono, take out the Gate Key and let's go!"  
  
"You guys should have taken my stuff too," Crono said as he pulled out the Gate Key. He brought it to the sphere and it expanded. Lucca and Marle jumped in, but Crono had something more to say. "Hey, chancellor! You could use some anger management!" With that, he leapt through. The gate closed behind him.  
  
"WHERE THE HELL DID THEY GO?" the chancellor demanded. The guards searched thoroughly, but couldn't find anything.  
  
"Well, shit," the chancellor said flatly.  
  
"Umm, chancellor?" a guard said, hesitantly, "Why do you have footprints all over your back?"  
  
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" 


End file.
